Voodoo Macbeth is a theatrical rendition of the famous shakespeare play MacBeth. The play stands on a pedestal as an all black cast and shines as a beam of light declaring black actors relevancy in an industry that previously did not serve to their advantage.The play hones in on the intricacies of black life in the caribbean and allows for a crossover of conceptual dialogue between the lives of those who experience blackness daily and traditional european narrative dramas. In this performance, the dynamic and flexible position of black identity is revealed in a new way. The use of voodoo throughout the play was creatively used promoting the plays realism and uplifting of black identity.The plot followed the original MacBeth play to the T from beginning , middle, to the end; however, it was clear that some adaptations were made to maintain the integrity of the original intent to uplift black identity. One key example of this is that in the play Hectae was played by a male voodoo priest instead of a witch as in the original Macbeth play
The genre featured in voodoo MacBeth was classical with a traditional African iambic pentameter added element. The director of the play strategically uses the added element of drums and Haitian musical elements to enhance the plot. This addes impetus to the plots original goal of elevating the Black persona within theater. In this way, the classical music mixed in with traditionally Black music emphasized the characters purpose. This idea of two world interwoven within each other mirrors the plot.
Many of the actors in the play were simply people passionate about expression and artistry and only a few of them were professionals. Jack Carter, Edna Thomas, Canada Lee and Eric Burroughsk Carter, Edna Thomas, Canada Lee and Eric Burroughsrter, Edna Thomas, Canada Lee and Eric Burroughs were among the few actors and actresses that were well known who performed in the play.Interestingly, upon research as to why welles did not want many professional actors, it can be found that he felt many of the people he hired, who had great knowledge or rhythm and voodoo itself, had a better knowledge of the iambic pentameter than actual professionals. This gives impetus to the reasoning behind this play as a source of elevation from black culture and natural creativity.
